vGUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINES IN FAMILY HEALTH CAREMESSAGE
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
SIXTH EDITION
Health development is an integral and important part of national development. Therefore
holistic, multi-tier and integrated health efforts are needed to achieve the goal of health
development.
Continuous mobilization of awareness, motivation and capacity for healthy living will
accelerate the achievement of an optimal health status. Therefore, implementing Primary
Health Care (PHC) principles, in community empowerment by health providers and cadres,
should collectively improve the community’s capacity for health. It is recognized that the
Government of the Republic of Indonesia has implemented a wide range of health efforts
with active participation of the community. One of such efforts is the application and
utilization of medicinal plants in the communities, which promotes self sufficiency in seeking
solutions for health problems through recognition and utilization of medicinal plants as home-
based first aid according to the PHC principles.
This book is a practical field guide for community members, health providers and cadres to
introduce Medicinal Plants in support of the current back-to-nature life style trend alleviate
the family’s economic burden and helps conserve a noble heritage.
We sincerely hope that these guidelines of medicinal plants application will be a means to
maintain the family’s health and assist the community and family members in self sufficient
healthy living, especially in the rural and or remote areas that have insufficient access to the
health centre.
We thank the Team of Writers and each person that has contributed to the revision of this
book “Guidelines for the Use of Herbal Medicine in Family Health Care”, and our very special
thanks to WHO Country Office Indonesia and WHO Regional Office for South East Asia for
their support and cooperation.
Director-General, Public HealthMinistry of Health, Republic of IndonesiaDr Budirahardja, DTM&H, MPH